With less than a month to the start of 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil, about 12 cities has been hit with a wide protest against the government. It was reported that riot police clashed with protesters in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
The protesters were demanding from their government a better life to include social infrastructure and housing. They are lamenting how much has been spent on the hosting of the 2014 FIFA World Cup which has been at the expense of the public. The tournament will cost the government $15bn (£10bn).
Speaking to BBC Sports, the head of Homeless Workers Movement Guilherme Boulos said “Our goal is symbolic. We don’t want to destroy or damage the stadium. What we want is more rights for workers to have access to housing and to show the effects the Cup has brought to the poor.”
With teachers, civil servants and other workers on strike, the protest has witnessed hurling of stones, burning of tyres and display of banners. Protest was witnessed in Rio de Janeiro, Sa Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Recife and other cities.
The organisers are having a torrid time with the protest adding to the burden of incomplete stadiums, crimes and other challenges; which are not what is expected with less than a month to the competition.